Any PURE array customers out there?

[cfizz34]

I'm looking for any fellow PURE array customers that are utilizing the hardware based snapshots for building out a virtual lab and trying to get some suggestions on how to set it up so that it doesn't impact production vm guests.

[HannesK]

Hello,
you don't need to search for pure storage users. The setup for virtual lab is the same on all storage systems

https://helpcenter.veeam.com/docs/backu ... ml?ver=100

- setup virtual lab
- setup application group "from storage snapshot"
- create SureBackup job

Best regards,
Hannes

[cfizz34]

But doesn't it compare whats in the storage array snapshot to the actual running VM and take a vmware snapshot for this comparison?

[Gostev]

No... I'm not really sure what functionality are you talking about, but Veeam has never done anything like that. Why would the content ever be the same anyway, if VM keeps running between storage and VM snapshots, which can never be created at the same exact moment due to unpredictable API command execution time?

[cfizz34]

After using this a bit more I agreed with your response and it does not do anything with the prod/source server when spinning up the snapshot. Now if they could only get advanced multi option working again I could put this puppy to bed.

[cfizz34]

So my issue is now that Advanced Multi host does not work with SureBackup the way I was hoping it would. I wish I could use snapshots with replica's since that actually does allow you to use multiple hosts (unlike SureBackup) and distribute the VM's to the clustered hosts but it wants to take a snapshot of the production VM and I don't want it to do that. I don't have the same options in a replica job like I do in a SureBackup job.

[HannesK]

So my issue is now that Advanced Multi host does not work with SureBackup the way I was hoping it would.

what exactly do you mean? SureBackup in Advanced Multi-Host configuration does not work with V10 right now. After your answer above, I believed that you know, that it's a known bug (which will be fixed).

I wish I could use snapshots with replica's

Veeam replication is storage independent. But you can use Veeam replicas in for virtual lab (assuming you don't use V10)

but it wants to take a snapshot of the production VM and I don't want it to do that

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. SureBackup detects the latest storage snapshot. That does not require a VM snapshot of the production VM.

[cfizz34]

SureBackup is great if you only want to use one ESXi host. It does NOT distribute the vm's across the various hosts in the cluster since the storage is only presented to the host where the proxy is located. I am using the bugfix released for V10. Support stated I can only use replica's to truly distribute across the clustered hosts.

[HannesK]

storage is only presented to the host where the proxy is located

thanks, good point. I forgot about that. sorry for my misleading answer before